New Forest takeaway fined for food hygiene offences

The owner of The Charcoal Grill Takeaway in Totton has been fined a total of £15,000 and ordered to pay £2,824.47 costs, following prosecution for food hygiene offences by New Forest District Council.

Guilty pleas were entered on behalf of the owner Monsour Inferadi at Southampton Magistrates' Court, on Monday 4 September 2017, for offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013.

New Forest District Council Deputy Leader Councillor Edward Heron commented "This successful prosecution clearly demonstrates that we will pursue any food business which fails to comply with food safety law and puts the health and safety of the public at risk."

The court heard how a routine food hygiene inspection of the premises was undertaken by one of the Council's Environmental Health Officers on 5 July 2016. During the course of this inspection the officer found that the premises were not adequately pest proofed. There was evidence of significant rodent activity as evidenced by fresh rodent droppings underneath and behind equipment, as well as gnaw marks and smearing consistent with rodent activity. It was also found that food was stored inappropriately in such a manner which could enable it to become contaminated. Further it was found that the business did not have effective documented food safety procedures in place.

The premises was voluntarily closed to enable works to be carried out to pest proof it and to undertake a thorough clean. The court heard that the premises was re-opened with the agreement of the environmental health officer when these works had been satisfactorily undertaken.

The environmental health officer also served two food hygiene improvement notices on the owner of the business to provide effective food safety procedures and to pest proof the premises. The business was awarded a 0 rating to reflect that urgent improvements were necessary.

The court heard that on a number of re-visits to the business , they had not carried out sufficient work for the environmental health officer to agree that the Hygiene Improvement Notice relating to the documented food safety procedures had been complied with.

All food hygiene rating scores can be checked on the Food Standards Agency website at http://ratings.food.gov.uk/ . After an inspection, food businesses are given a window sticker to display their rating to customers.

Concerns about food hygiene matters in the New Forest can be reported to environmental health by telephoning 023 8028 5230.